US Open, 1991
Into the players' lounge
The year he turned nine, Roddick went to the US Open and more than once sneaked into the players' lounge, forbidden territory for a boy, to imagine his future there.
Source: International Tennis Hall of FameThe 21st century
Andy Roddick
United States · born Omaha, Nebraska, 1982 · right-handed · four times Queen's champion and three times Wimbledon finalist
Hall of Fame 2017
All playersBack to the rankings
4
Queen's Club singles titles, 2003 to 2007
3
Wimbledon finals, 2004, 2005 and 2009, all lost to Roger Federer
16-14
Fifth set of the 2009 Wimbledon final, 77 games in all
41-12
Wimbledon singles record, 2001 to 2012
153 mph
World-record serve at Queen's in 2004, since surpassed
Playing career
Andy Roddick was born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1982, the youngest son of a sporting family; his brother John was ranked as high as No. 6 in the juniors. He was the world's No. 1 junior in 2000 and rose from No. 158 to No. 14 during 2001.
In 2003 he won Queen's, reached the Wimbledon semi-finals, won the US Open and finished the year No. 1. He then finished nine straight years in the top 10, won 32 ATP titles and helped the United States win the 2007 Davis Cup, winning all 12 matches in which he had the chance to clinch a tie. Roger Federer beat him in four major finals: Wimbledon in 2004, 2005 and 2009 and the US Open in 2006. He announced his retirement on his 30th birthday, during the 2012 US Open, and entered the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2017.
On grass
| Queen's finals | 2003: beat Sébastien Grosjean 6-3, 6-3, having beaten Andre Agassi for the first time on the way. 2004: beat Grosjean 7-6, 6-4. 2005: beat Ivo Karlović 7-6, 7-6. 2007: beat Nicolas Mahut 4-6, 7-6, 7-6 |
|---|---|
| Eastbourne 2012 | Entered as a wildcard and beat the defending champion Andreas Seppi 6-3, 6-2 in the final for his 31st title, his last on grass |
| Wimbledon finals | 2004: lost to Roger Federer 4-6, 7-5, 7-6, 6-4. 2005: lost to Federer 6-2, 7-6, 6-4. 2009: lost to Federer 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14, after leading 6-2 in the second-set tiebreak |
| Wimbledon 2009 | Beat Lleyton Hewitt in the quarter-finals and Andy Murray in the semi-finals. In the final, which lasted more than four hours, he lost his serve once, in the last game |
Every grass title: 5
Show every title, tournament by tournament
| Queen's Club | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Men's singles | |
| 2004 | Men's singles | |
| 2005 | Men's singles | |
| 2007 | Men's singles | |
| Eastbourne | ||
| 2012 | Men's singles | |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. †single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
"You would never have thought that an obnoxious, opinionated American and Wimbledon would get along so well."
Anecdotes
The person behind the player.
Davis Cup, 2000
Volleying Agassi
At 17 he was the hitting partner for a US Davis Cup team with Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras, captained by John McEnroe. At practice he stood at the net while Agassi struck the ball harder and harder at him; he held his ground, and Agassi smiled.
Source: International Tennis Hall of FameQueen's, June 2004
Against the wind
Beating Paradorn Srichaphan 6-3, 6-3 in the quarter-finals, he hit a 153 mph serve, then the fastest recorded. "It was against the wind so I am pretty surprised," he said. "I didn't realise I had done it until the crowd started cheering and Paradorn smiled too."
Source: The Star, from agency reportsWimbledon, July 2009
A triumphant defeat
He led Federer by a set and 6-2 in the second-set tiebreak, four set points for a two-set lead, and lost six points in a row. In the fifth set he served from behind and held ten times when a game from defeat, before Federer broke him at 14-15. "You might expect me to hate that match but I don't," he said in 2014.
Source: International Tennis Hall of FameAfter 2003
Celebrity
His US Open win made him a celebrity beyond tennis. He was interviewed by Elton John, named by People magazine the sexiest athlete on the planet, and became only the second tennis player to host Saturday Night Live.
Source: International Tennis Hall of FameNew York, August 2012
Retiring on his birthday
On 30 August 2012, his 30th birthday, he announced that he would retire at the end of the US Open. He won three more matches before losing to Juan MartÃn del Potro. "I've loved every minute of it," he told the crowd.
Source: International Tennis Hall of FameJoin Grass Tennis Club
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Where they won on grass
- Queen's Club, London
- Devonshire Park, Eastbourne
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Rivals and partners
On Grass Tennis Club
Elsewhere online
Sources
- Joel Drucker, "Andy Roddick's complicated American journey", International Tennis Hall of Fame
- "Roddick fires record-breaking serve on his way to victory", The Star, 2004
- Wimbledon Compendium 2025, AELTC
- Queen's Club Championships, Wikipedia
- Eastbourne International, Wikipedia
- Andy Roddick, Wikipedia
- GTC roll of grass champions, checked against a second source where one exists
Page updated 4 November 2026. Spotted an error? Send a correction.
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